I would like to ask you to join us in prayer as we hold our first telethon for 2017. The telethon will air live from January 30 to February 3, from 12:00 midnight to 1:00 a.m., on GMA Channel 7 (Channel 12 on SkyCable and Destiny Cable).

Towards the end of 2016, we sensed a leading from God to embark on a year-long campaign this year to encourage and inspire people to read the Bible and experience the power of God’s Word. Thus, we have aptly named next week’s telethon “Love the Word, Live the Word,” as it will also serve as the official launch of the campaign by the same title.

More than ever, we need to point people to the Lord as the only true source of hope and security in these very uncertain times. And so we ask you to join us in earnest prayer for the success of the telethon and our “Love the Word, Live the Word” campaign. The following are our specific prayer points:

For the telethon and the subsequent regular episodes of The 700 Club Asia to air on time on GMA 7 and other carrier networks

For the Lord to draw millions of people all over the world to watch the telethon and The 700 Club Asia on TV and online and cause them to watch the programs in their entirety

For God’s Word and message to be shared with love and the power of the Holy Spirit through the hosts and the segments of the telethon and The 700 Club Asia and our regular and volunteer phone counselors

For people’s hearts to be open to God, for millions to come to a saving knowledge of Jesus Christ, and for viewers, in general, to experience God’s love and miracle-working power in their lives

For God to use the telethon to pour out His financial provision to enable us to do more and reach more people for Him

For every piece of equipment that will be used in the telethon to function properly and for the broadcast/webcast to be clear and smooth

For all premiums to be ready in time for the telethon and be channels of God’s blessing to our donors and their friends and loved ones

For the spirit of love, joy, faith and unity to be upon us as we serve Him

For God’s powerful anointing on the “Love the Word, Live the Word” campaign which will be launched during the telethon

As I close, I am reminded of this verse from Scripture: “The people who know their God shall be strong, and carry out great exploits” (Daniel 11:32, NKJV). Let us continue to work together until “the earth [is] filled with the knowledge of the glory of the LORD, as the waters cover the sea” (Habakkuk 2:14, NKJV), “’not by might, nor by power, but by My Spirit, says the LORD’” (Zechariah 4:6).

We thank you for partnering with us in prayer. May our faithful God continue to bless you, your loved ones and your endeavors.

Looking at the direction of the culture, the shape of trends, and the current challenges we face, here’s a handful of ideas to look for in 2016. I strongly recommend that you share this with pastors, ministry and nonprofit leaders you know, because from a media perspective, these are the critical areas that I believe we should focus our messages on in the coming year:

People will be looking for deep answers, not just “practical” advice. The last 20 years has been a time of “practical” teaching in the church. It was based on the assumption (not always wrong) that people needed to look at the Bible for answers to everyday questions. But too many pastors started preaching shallow topics like “The 5 Keys to a Successful Marriage,” “3 Steps to God’s Healing Power,” or “The Secrets of a Better Prayer Life.” Many of those topics may have been helpful, but if you look at the Christian section at a typical bookstore, it doesn’t look much different than the secular self-help section. Our message has become Oprah in a “Christianized” package.

Colleges are getting the same message by the way. After the last 50 years of giving out “practical” diplomas in majors like Bakery Science, Bowling Management, and Gender Studies, they’re discovering that to really prepare students for life, it’s time to get back to a classical education.

Like those students, in 2016, your congregation will be looking for deeper answers. After all the self-help books, sermon DVDs, and small group resources have piled up the ceiling, people realize that life isn’t about easy answers or cheap grace. After all –

As a result, across the country, I’m seeing more and more pastors speaking for an hour or more on Sunday, and doing verse by verse in-depth teaching, and the crowds are coming in. So this year, I recommend you take people on a deeper journey. After all, while the Bible gives us plenty of practical information, it’s so much more. Don’t forget to teach the awesome power and mystery of our faith this year.

People will be looking for a LOCAL church. One of the interesting business trends in 2016 will be the return of the local bookstore. After a decade of clicking all day, people miss the interaction of a local store experience. Plus, they finally understand that if you want to keep local stores, you have to buy there. As a result, local bookstores (and other stores) are experiencing a resurgence in cities and towns across America. I predict a similar feeling will happen in churches. So this is the year to promote your church as part of the local community. Instead of people driving 30 or more miles to a megachurch, they’ll be looking for a local congregation. That’s one reason large churches are aggressively planting local campuses. So this year, stop criticizing the big churches in your area, and start celebrating your local community. You’ll find more and more of your neighbors are looking for exactly that.

Polarized politics will be the perfect opportunity to offer a better way. As the Left goes further left, and the Right goes further right, there are millions of people growing disenchanted with the answers government is offering. But to be that answer, we need to keep ourselves from being associated with a particular party. Encourage political participation, voting, and citizenship. Keep speaking truth to power. But to be the answer the culture is looking for, don’t align your pulpit with a political party. Start preaching the bigger answer they won’t find in politics.

This isn’t the time to soften our doctrine to become more attractive to the culture. As Mary Eberstadt reveals in her book “How The West Really Lost God,” over the last 100 years, churches and denominations that have accommodated their theology to the culture have dramatically lost influence or disappeared completely. Don’t become a hardliner or jerk, but don’t be afraid to preach the truth. You’ll take heat, but ultimately, if you’re no more distinctive than the Kiwanis Club, then what’s the point?

It’s time to get serious about social media. For all you late adopters, here’s a tip: The Internet isn’t going away. Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and other social media platforms aren’t just about letting your friends know you’re at Starbucks, or showing them a picture of your lunch. When you take social media seriously, and look at it as a tool to speak positive things into people’s lives, it will change your perspective – and your impact. And no church or ministry is too small to make an impact online. People are following you for a reason, so in 2016, start saying (and preaching) things worth sharing. In the process you can have a remarkable influence on people – many of which you don’t even know.

Themes that will resonate with audiences in 2016:

Freedom in Christ. The current administration is now the most prolific regulator of all time. Its 82,036 pages of new rules and regulations for 2016 has surpassed last year (which was close to that number.) The government’s answer to societal problems is usually more rules. It’s a common human trait, and the Pharisees of Jesus’ day did the same thing. As Theologian R.C. Sproul says:

“One commentator has called this practice of the Jews “regulation madness.” This is what happens when people who have a disposition to control others’ lives begin to chip away at their freedoms and accumulate power for themselves. This has happened in every society in every culture in the history of the world, but the Pharisees did it with a vengeance. When I was doing my doctoral work in Holland, one of the first idiomatic expressions I heard was “You have trespassed the law.” The Dutch people were governed to death. If I broke a pane of glass in my house, I had to get written permission to repair it from the federal government. That is the kind of culture the Pharisees created in ancient Israel. We have seen this in the Christian community again and again. In some groups, Christian piety is defined as refraining from wearing lipstick, dancing, going to movies, playing cards, and so forth, as if these activities had anything to do with the kingdom of God. In one sense, when these kinds of regulations are established, authentic righteousness is not simply obscured, it is discounted. After all, it is easier to refrain from wearing lipstick than from displaying pride. It is easier to stop going to movies than to start loving one’s enemies. We have all we can do to seek the righteousness that God’s law sets forth for us without worrying about petty issues. The Pharisees were absolutely majoring in minors. They had turned the supreme law of God into petty regulations, which obscured the majesty of the law of God.”Preach freedom in Christ to a world desperate for it.

Overcoming Fear. Terrorism, and the rhetoric surrounding is creating the most fearful culture in our lifetime. This is a critical moment to remind people that God is in control – even in the most difficult situations. And this fear isn’t just the surface emotion people talk about, it’s also the deeper sense of angst that we carry like a burden. We worry about our kids, are fearful for our job, and are terrified about the safety of our country. In 2016, preach a message that will help people find comfort and confidence in God, and in doing so, they’ll share that message with friends.

Build better families. Keep in mind that “the family” is one of the biggest hot button issues of our time. What all the people trying to re-define the family don’t seem to notice is that the more it’s re-defined, the more it continues to collapse. In a world where divorce, pre-marital sex, single motherhood, foster care, violence, abortion, and LGBT issues continue to be headlines, the single greatest impact we could make is to lead by example. If we lectured and condemned the outside culture less, and started making our own families stronger, the culture would notice. What if the Church became the one group in America that had the highest percentage of healthy, intact, loving families? I believe outsiders would be curious to find out why.

Finally, Share Joy: Just listening to the presidential debates, you’ll see there isn’t much joy out there. I believe one of the most visible differences that should separate Christians from the non-believing culture is joy. I’m not talking here about simply having fun (although that helps), but I’m talking about a much deeper sense of joy. The kind the culture finds irrational, because in the times we live in, they can’t fathom its source. If we could become the people of joy the Bible talks about, trust me, in 2016, this culture will notice and start asking why.

This is a good list to start focusing on as you teach, broadcast, and share your message online. And I’m open to comments and suggestions about these and other ideas that would be particularly effective in today’s culture.

The statement of faith of CBN Asia, Inc. shall be used as a guide for its policies. It is required that all of the directors/trustees, officers, and employees of CBN Asia, Inc. subscribe to this statement either orally or in writing.

We believe that the Holy Bible is inspired, infallible and authoritative source of Christian doctrine and precepts.

We believe that there is one God, eternally existent in three persons: Father, Son, and the Holy Spirit.

We believe that man was created in the image of God, but as a result of sin is lost and powerless to save himself.

We believe that the only hope for man is to believe on Jesus Christ, the virgin-born Son of God, Who died to take upon Himself the punishment for the sin of mankind, and Who rose from the dead so that by receiving Him as Savior and Lord, man is redeemed by His blood.

We believe that Jesus Christ in person will return to earth in power and glory.

We believe the Holy Spirit indwells those who have received Christ for the purpose of enabling them to live righteous and holy lives.

We believe that the Church is the Body of Christ and is composed of all those who through belief in Christ have been spiritually regenerated by the indwelling Holy Spirit. The mission of the Church is worldwide evangelization and the nurture and discipling of Christians.

About 40 years ago, I was at a camp in the mountains. Alone in a room, I prayed, “God, if there is a God, I’m open. If you’re real, I want to know you’re real. And, Jesus Christ, if you can change my life, if there is a purpose for my life, I want to know it.”

You know what happened? Nothing. I didn’t get goose bumps. I didn’t cry. No bright lights shown down. Nothing.

But that was the turning point in my life – because I was no longer biasing myself against God. I wanted to know the truth, even if it was inconvenient.

As we teach our congregations, we need to help them understand that Truth can be discovered once we develop an attitude of openness that says, “I want to learn God’s Truth more than anything else.”

Once they understand this, we can explain that God uses these five ways to show us what is true. You can take these points and adapt them for use in your congregation —

Through creation — We learn a lot about God and a lot about truth just by looking at nature. This is why science is so important. It helps us understand God and His universe. The Bible says in Romans 1:19: “The basic reality of God is plain enough. Open your eyes and there it is.”

By knowing there are 60,000 varieties of beetles, I learn God likes variety. By seeing a volcano, a tidal wave, or an earthquake, I know God is powerful. From the delicately balanced ecosystem, I realize God is organized.

Through conscience — Some things are hard wired in us by God; we know they are always right or always wrong, no matter what anybody else says. Our conscience tells us this. The Bible says this in Romans 2: “Some people naturally obey God’s commands even though they don’t have the law. This proves that the conscious is like a law written in the human heart…”

Say we take a random sample of one million people from around the planet and put them on a corner in New York City. We say: “Here’s a 92-year-old blind lady with a walker. She needs to cross the street. Tell me which of these three options is morally right. One, you can let her try to cross on her own. Two, you can help her cross the street. Three, you can push her into oncoming traffic.”

You don’t have to be a Christian or Jew or Muslim or even a spiritual person; inside you know the right thing to do.

Through consideration — Truth is knowable. You can test it. You can experiment with it. You can prove it.

If I want to go to San Francisco and I follow a map that takes me to San Francisco, and the next week I follow the same map to San Francisco again, eventually I figure out this map is true. For 40-plus years, I’ve been following this map called the Bible. I have found it to be true. It always takes me where it says it’s going to take me. I don’t always like it there. But it always takes me to where it says it’s going to take me.

Often people say, “Why won’t God just write it in the sky?” Why would God do that? He gave you a brain. But most people never slow down long enough for consideration. Most people just drift through life. The Bible tells us over and over “Ponder the path of your feet.” Spend some time in consideration, in observation. Ask yourself: “Am I on a true path?”

Through God’s commandments — 2 Timothy 3:16 says: “All scripture is inspired by God and is useful to teach us what’s true and make us realize what’s wrong in our lives. It straightens us out. It teaches us to do what’s right.”

If I discover truth from the Bible, how do I know the Bible is true? Does objective evidence show me the Bible is true? There’s a world of objective evidence, both external and internal, that says that this book is true.

External evidence proves the Bible is a historical book that you can rely on. There are 5,366 copies of the Bible dating from the time it was written to just 70 years afterwards. That fact dispels the urban legend that the Bible was changed as it passed through generations and languages.

External evidence also includes many archeological discoveries. For example, historians used to say that Solomon couldn’t have had the horses the Bible says he had because no one had horses at that time. But then thousands of horse stables were found in a dig.

There’s also the internal evidence of the Bible itself. In a court of law, a prosecutor with two or three eyewitness accounts has a good chance of making his case. The Bible is filled with eyewitness accounts. Moses was there when the Red Sea split. Joshua was there to watch Jericho fall. The disciples saw the resurrected Jesus.

The internal evidence of the Bible also includes the fact that it tells one story with consistency – though it was written over 1,500 years on three different continents by 40 different authors from every walk of life. No human being could account for that. It’s an amazing example of the power of God.

Through Christ — The Bible says that Jesus was full of grace and truth. Truth is not a principle. Truth is a person. Truth is relational. Truth is Jesus Christ.

One of the clearest and the most well know verses in the Bible is “Jesus said, I am the way the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father but by Me.” Notice he says, “I.” Not a religion. Not a ritual. Not rules and regulations. I. Truth is a person.

This is what separates Jesus Christ from every other leader of every other faith. Other leaders have said, “I’m looking for the truth” or “I’m teaching the truth” or “I point to the truth” or “I’m a prophet of truth.” Jesus comes and says, “I am the truth.”

A lot of people say, “I think Jesus was just a great teacher.” He couldn’t be. No great teacher would claim to be God if he wasn’t. Either Jesus is conning 2.3 billion people who totally believe a lie, or he was nuts, or he is who he said he was.

Everybody’s betting their life on something. I’m betting my life that Jesus is who he said he was.

What do I do with the truth once I’ve discovered it? Four things:

Believe it.

Do it. Truth is not just an intellectual exercise; it’s something you obey.

Stand for it. The Bible tells us our responsibility is to never oppose the truth but to stand for it at all times.

Spread it.

The Bible says, “Let everything you do reflect your love of the truth and the fact that you were in dead earnest about it.” (Titus 2:7, The Living Bible) There’s a lot in the Bible that I don’t understand and that makes me uncomfortable. But the fact is, it is the truth. It is a map that always takes me where it promises.

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Rick Warren is the founding pastor of Saddleback Church in Lake Forest, Calif., one of America’s largest and most influential churches. Rick is author of the New York Times bestseller The Purpose Driven Life. His book, The Purpose Driven Church, was named one of the 100 Christian books that changed the 20th century. He is also founder of Pastors.com, a global Internet community for pastors.